I am the poster child for low musical expectations.  At my piano lesson today I played through my piece--Mozart's Andante in A Major--rather I struggled through it and managed to play all the notes, and more, from beginning to end.  After I finished I gave a great sigh of relief and my teacher immediately suggested that I "move on" to another piece.  OK, I agree that I was overmatched by Mozart and that any any pedagogical value was lost when I would (figuratively) bang my head on the side of the piano for hours with little improvement.  I just wish there was a nicer way for my teacher to tell me that my playing sucks.

 

My new piece is by Hector Villa Lobos, called "Constante."  It's based on a Brazilian children's song and is in the very easy key of C Major.  I will try to use this piece for the confidence builder that my teacher intends it to be.  I hope that I'll really be able to interpret this piece and not just survive it.  Wish me luck! 

Summertime...and the writing is anything but easy.  My poor blog.  It 's suffered because I've been seduced by sunshine.  When my choice is between the pool or the computer, there is no contest.  Frankly, my brain has turned to mush.

 

I'm still reading, a book called "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank."  I'm seeing movies, "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Pirates of the Carribean."  And I saw a performance of Holst's "The Planets" last week.  But mainly I'm content to sit in the back yard with my husband and a gin and tonic or two.  I'm doing very little heavy lifting right now, intellectual or otherwise.

 

On Saturday we go to Interlochen to see daughter Ashley.  Mara will tag along to see her friends from last year.  After that it's over the Macinac Bridge to northern Wisconsin for a few days of hiking and canoeing.  Mara has already announced her intention to stay in the cabin and practice violin at least eight hours a day while Mike and I challenge the wilderness. 

 

Mara has a big recital (4 pieces, Bach, Mendelssohn, Pagannini, and Sae-Saens, at least 45 minutes) in early August.  Which this evil mother will miss because she will be picking up Mara's sister at camp.  At least Mara's father will be there,  scoring uncountable points with eldest daughter.  Can I send in a clone?

 

In many ways this summer is about not being in many places at once, and not even wanting to do so.  I've been turning down invitations and not going out in favor of just staying home and relaxing.  Sometimes it stings, like when I read the review of the Sondheim festival last Friday in Grant Park, Chicago that I chose not to attend (Steven was there!).  But it only stung until I remembered our delightful walk and talk that evening.

 

 Pretty soon I'll get tired of relaxing and be ready to dress up and go out.  But right now shorts, bare feet, and a tank top, burgers on the grill, and a G&T are plenty to keep me happy.  

I finished my Fourth of July holiday unpatriotically using very little gasoline and spending little money.  The furthest I drove on this most traveled weekend was fifteen miles one way to go out to dinner last niight.  Otherwise we stayed hope, had friends over, visited two different bike trails, and did yard work.  Aside from the nightly artillery raids, it was a quiet and peaceful weekend.

 

The high gas prices are finally starting to affect my behavior, not always in a negative way.  I'm grouping my trips and avoiding unnecessary travel.  Instead of driving forty miles to Chicago for entertainment, we're doing more things locally.  I ride my bike to the grocery store and sometimes I walk to the office.  Rediscovering our bikes has led my husband and me to take more long rides on our many bike trails.  Soon I hope to start riding to church, four miles away.  On a good day I don't even start the car.

 

When I first started traveling less I felt a little frustrated.  I felt like I was sacrificing some of my freedom.  Now I realize just how much time I wasted in the car.  Just because you're going somewhere fast doesn't mean that place is worth going to.  Sometimes we're better off slowing down and exploring our home environs.  Read a book, talk to the neighbors, take a nap, patronize a local business.  None of that seems as glamouous or as exciting as traveling thirty miles to the regional mall.  But neither is it as soul sucking as stepping into that air conditioned land of watch kiosks, chain stores, and faux palm trees.

 

I understand that the high gas prices are causing a lot of people some real pain.  They may live in a pedestrian unfriendly suburb where it's impossible to walk to a grocery.  Or they may work far from their houses with no possibility of public transportation.  They may car pool and have to be ready on time and to talk to people in the morning.  They may have to pick up something for the neighbor while running errands.

 

Even if people can't reduce work-related driving, cutting down just on discretionary driving saves money, increases home time,  reduces the number of trips to the gas station, and surprisingly nets us extra time for ourselves and our families.  How strange that the automobile, supposedly a labor saving tool of convenience, encourages us to spend so much time in unproductive and unfulfilling ways.